Beam management using synchronization signals through channel feedback framework

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. In aspects of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may report metrics (e.g., received signal power, beam identifier) about synchronization signal (SS) beams using the same (e.g., or a similar) framework that is used for channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) reporting. Because SSs are intended to be broadcast across a wide coverage area in a beamformed manner, the SSs represent a promising complement to existing beam management techniques. Accordingly, beam management may be achieved at least in part based on reporting one or more metrics of beamformed SSs through a channel feedback framework.

CROSS REFERENCES

The present application for patent claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/481,658 by Subramanian et al.,entitled “Beam Management Using Synchronization Signals Through ChannelFeedback Framework,” filed Apr. 4, 2017, assigned to the assigneehereof, and expressly incorporated herein.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to wireless communication, and morespecifically to beam management using synchronization signals (SSs)through channel feedback framework.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable ofsupporting communication with multiple users by sharing the availablesystem resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA)systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA) systems, (e.g., a Long Term Evolution(LTE) system, or a New Radio (NR) system). A wireless multiple-accesscommunications system may include a number of base stations or accessnetwork nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiplecommunication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment(UE).

In some wireless communications systems (e.g., systems supportingmillimeter wave (mmW) communications), beamforming may be used in orderto overcome the relatively high path losses associated with frequenciesin these systems. In order to support beamformed transmissions,communicating wireless devices (e.g., a base station and UE) may beoperable to discover and maintain suitable beams for a givencommunication link. The set of procedures and protocols required forthis task may be referred to as beam management. As an example, beammanagement may be based on a UE observing beamformed downlink signalsand reporting one or more performance metrics for the respectivebeamformed signals to the base station. For example, channel stateinformation reference signals (CSI-RS) associated with multipletransmission beams may be provided and channel state feedback mayinclude reports indicating channel information for the best transmissionbeams. Improvements in providing channel feedback based on transmissionbeams from a base station may be desired.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices,or apparatuses that support beam management using synchronizationsignals (SSs) through channel feedback framework. In aspects of thepresent disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may report metrics (e.g.,received signal power, beam identifier) about SS beams following thesame framework used for channel state information reference signal(CSI-RS) reporting. Because some wireless systems (e.g., mmW systems)employ beamformed directional transmissions (e.g., of SSs and othersignals) to overcome path loss complications, considerations forefficient reporting of beamformed signal properties (i.e., beammanagement) may benefit the system. Accordingly, beam management may beachieved at least in part based on reporting one or more metrics ofbeamformed SSs through a channel feedback framework.

A method of wireless communication at a UE is described. The method mayinclude identifying a first feedback resource set and reportingconfiguration according to a channel state information (CSI) frameworkthat indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a basestation using a first set of transmission beams, performing firstchannel measurements for the set of SS blocks, and reporting, to thebase station, a first resource indicator for at least one of the set ofSS blocks based on the first channel measurements.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. Theapparatus may include a processor, memory in electronic communicationwith the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. Theinstructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatusto identify a first feedback resource set and reporting configurationaccording to a CSI framework that indicates a set of SS blocks of an SSburst transmitted by a base station using a first set of transmissionbeams, perform first channel measurements for the set of SS blocks, andreport, to the base station, a first resource indicator for at least oneof the set of SS blocks based on the first channel measurements.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. Theapparatus may include means for identifying a first feedback resourceset and reporting configuration according to a CSI framework thatindicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a basestation using a first set of transmission beams, means for performingfirst channel measurements for the set of SS blocks, and means forreporting, to the base station, a first resource indicator for at leastone of the set of SS blocks based on the first channel measurements.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication at a UE is described. The code may include instructionsexecutable by a processor to identify a first feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicates aset of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using afirst set of transmission beams, perform first channel measurements forthe set of SS blocks, and report, to the base station, a first resourceindicator for at least one of the set of SS blocks based on the firstchannel measurements.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, identifying the firstfeedback resource set and reporting configuration may includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for receiving the firstfeedback resource set and reporting configuration from the base station.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, reporting may includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for reporting a channelmetric associated with the at least one of the set of SS blocks.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the reporting occursperiodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically as identified by thefirst reporting configuration.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, reporting aperiodicallyoccurs based on a trigger, where the trigger may include operations,features, means, or instructions for receiving a reporting indicator ina downlink control information message or identifying a triggering eventbased on the first channel measurements.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, reporting may includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for reporting an indicatorof an antenna port for at least one of the set of SS blocks.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining a secondfeedback resource set and reporting configuration according to the CSIframework, where the second feedback resource set and reportingconfiguration identifies a set of resources associated with a CSI-RStransmitted by a base station using a second set of transmission beams,performing second channel measurements for the CSI-RS and reportingaccording to the second reporting configuration, to the base stationbased on the second channel measurements, at least one channel metricfor at least one of the set of resources associated with the CSI-RS anda second resource indicator of the at least one of the set of resources.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the set of SS blocks includesa subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for identifying a waveformfor the set of SS blocks for performing the first channel measurementsbased on decoding at least one SS block of the SS burst.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the first feedback resourceset configuration includes a spatial quasi-colocation indicator for atleast one of the set of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for the setof SS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicatorof antenna ports associated with the set of SS blocks, an indicator of anumber of SS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metricfor reporting for the set of SS blocks, or a combination thereof.

A method of wireless communication at a base station is described. Themethod may include configuring, for a UE, a first feedback resource setand reporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicatesa set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by the base station usinga first set of transmission beams, receiving, from the UE, a firstresource indicator of at least one of the set of SS blocks, anddetermining a characteristic of a transmission beam for a data orcontrol transmission to the UE based on the first resource indicator.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described.The apparatus may include a processor, memory in electroniccommunication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory.The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to configure, for a UE, a first feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicates aset of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by the base station using afirst set of transmission beams, receive, from the UE, a first resourceindicator of at least one of the set of SS blocks, and determine acharacteristic of a transmission beam for a data or control transmissionto the UE based on the first resource indicator.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station isdescribed. The apparatus may include means for configuring, for a UE, afirst feedback resource set and reporting configuration according to aCSI framework that indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS bursttransmitted by the base station using a first set of transmission beams,means for receiving, from the UE, a first resource indicator of at leastone of the set of SS blocks, and means for determining a characteristicof a transmission beam for a data or control transmission to the UEbased on the first resource indicator.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication at a base station is described. The code may includeinstructions executable by a processor to configure, for a UE, a firstfeedback resource set and reporting configuration according to a CSIframework that indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmittedby the base station using a first set of transmission beams, receive,from the UE, a first resource indicator of at least one of the set of SSblocks, and determine a characteristic of a transmission beam for a dataor control transmission to the UE based on the first resource indicator.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, receiving may includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a channelmetric associated with the at least one of the set of SS blocks.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, receiving may includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for receiving an indicatorof an antenna port for the at least one of the set of SS blocks.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the first feedback resourceset and reporting configuration includes an indication for periodic,semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting, a spatial quasi-colocationindicator for at least one of the set of SS blocks, an indicator ofresources for the set of SS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SSburst, an indicator of antenna ports associated with the set of SSblocks, an indicator of a number of SS blocks of the SS burst, anindicator of a channel metric for reporting for the set of SS blocks, ora combination thereof.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the set of SS blocks includesa subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for configuring, for theUE, a second feedback resource set and reporting configuration accordingto the CSI framework, where the second feedback resource set andreporting configuration identifies a set of resources associated with aCSI-RS transmitted by the base station using a second set oftransmission beams and receiving, from the UE, at least one channelmetric for at least one of the set of resources associated with theCSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the at least one of the set ofresources, where the determining the characteristic of the transmissionbeam may be based on the at least one channel metric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for wireless communicationthat supports beam management using synchronization signals (SSs)through channel feedback framework in accordance with aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system thatsupports beam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a configuration message that supportsbeam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5 through 7 show block diagrams of a device that supports beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a userequipment (UE) that supports beam management using SSs through channelfeedback framework in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 9 through 11 show block diagrams of a device that supports beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a base stationthat supports beam management using SSs through channel feedbackframework in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate methods that support beam management usingSSs through channel feedback framework for in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some wireless communications systems employ beamforming in order toovercome communication range limitations that result from relativelyhigh path losses associated with frequencies in the system. To supportthese beamformed transmissions, communicating devices may periodicallymeasure one or more metrics associated with one or more beamformedtransmissions, a process which is a part of beam management. Forexample, beam management may include beam selection and switching, beamrecovery, beam optimization, and the like. For example, a base stationmay select a more suitable beam when a previously selected beam becomesobsolete (e.g., because of movement of the devices or some other factoraffecting the communications). Because synchronization signals (SSs) areintended to be broadcast across a wide coverage area in a beamformedmanner, the SSs represent a promising complement to existing beammanagement techniques. Accordingly, and as described further below, SSsmay assist beam management through the channel feedback framework.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of awireless communications system. Aspects of the disclosure are thenillustrated by and described with reference to configuration messagesand process flows. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated byand described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, andflowcharts that relate to beam-aware handover procedure for multi-beamaccess systems.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wirelesscommunications system 100 includes base stations 105, user equipments(UEs) 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wirelesscommunications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network,LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, or a 5G new radio (NR) network. In somecases, wireless communications system 100 may support enhanced broadbandcommunications, ultra-reliable (i.e., mission critical) communications,low latency communications, and communications with low-cost andlow-complexity devices. Wireless communications system 100 may supportthe efficient use of resources by enabling SS reporting for beammanagement through reuse of the channel state information referencesignal (CSI-RS) reporting framework.

Base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with UEs 115 via one ormore base station antennas. Each base station 105 may providecommunication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110.Communication links 125 shown in wireless communications system 100 mayinclude uplink transmissions from a UE 115 to a base station 105, ordownlink transmissions, from a base station 105 to a UE 115. Controlinformation and data may be multiplexed on an uplink channel or downlinkchannel according to various techniques. Control information and datamay be multiplexed on a downlink channel, for example, using timedivision multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing(FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, thecontrol information transmitted during a transmission time interval(TTI) of a downlink channel may be distributed between different controlregions in a cascaded manner (e.g., between a common control region andone or more UE-specific control regions).

UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 115 may also bereferred to as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, asubscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, awireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, amobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, awireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobileclient, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE 115 may alsobe a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wirelessmodem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tabletcomputer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a personal electronicdevice, a handheld device, a personal computer, a wireless local loop(WLL) station, an Internet of things (IoT) device, an Internet ofEverything (IoE) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, anappliance, an automobile, or the like.

In some cases, a UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly withother UEs 115 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device(D2D) protocol). One or more of a group of UEs 115 utilizing D2Dcommunications may be within the coverage area 110 of a cell. Other UEs115 in such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a cell, orotherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station 105. Insome cases, groups of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications mayutilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits toevery other UE 115 in the group. In some instances, a base station 105facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In othercases, D2D communications are carried out independently of a basestation 105.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or lowcomplexity devices, and may provide for automated communication betweenmachines, i.e., Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. M2M or MTC mayrefer to data communication technologies that allow devices tocommunicate with one another or a base station 105 without humanintervention. For example, M2M or MTC may refer to communications fromdevices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or captureinformation and relay that information to a central server orapplication program that can make use of the information or present theinformation to humans interacting with the program or application. SomeUEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automatedbehavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices includesmart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipmentmonitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather andgeological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remotesecurity sensing, physical access control, and transaction-basedbusiness charging.

Base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with oneanother. For example, base stations 105 may interface with the corenetwork 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, S2). Base stations 105may communicate with one another over backhaul links 134 (e.g., X1, X2)either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network 130). Basestations 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling forcommunication with UEs 115, or may operate under the control of a basestation controller (not shown). In some examples, base stations 105 maybe macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or the like. Base stations 105may also be referred to as eNodeBs (eNBs) 105, next generation NodeBs(gNBs) 105, etc.

In some cases, wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-basednetwork that operate according to a layered protocol stack. In the userplane, communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol(PDCP) layer may be IP-based. A Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may insome cases perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicateover logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may performpriority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transportchannels. The MAC layer may also use Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request(HARM) to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve linkefficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC)protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenanceof an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a base station 105, or corenetwork 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. At thephysical layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

Wireless communications system 100 may support operation on multiplecells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrieraggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also bereferred to as a component carrier (CC), a layer, a channel, etc. Theterms “carrier,” “component carrier,” and “channel” may be usedinterchangeably herein. A UE 115 may be configured with multipledownlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for CA. CA may be used with bothfrequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) CC.

In some cases, wireless communications system 100 may utilize enhancedcomponent carriers (eCCs). An eCC may be characterized by one or morefeatures including wider bandwidth, shorter symbol duration, shorterTTIs, and modified control channel configuration. In some cases, an eCCmay be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dualconnectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have asuboptimal or non-ideal backhaul link). An eCC may also be configuredfor use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (where more than oneoperator is allowed to use the spectrum). An eCC characterized by widebandwidth may include one or more segments that may be utilized by UEs115 that are not capable of monitoring the whole bandwidth or prefer touse a limited bandwidth (e.g., to conserve power).

In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than otherCCs, which may include use of a reduced symbol duration as compared withsymbol durations of the other CCs. A shorter symbol duration may beassociated with increased subcarrier spacing. A TTI in an eCC mayinclude one or multiple symbols. In some cases, the TTI duration (thatis, the number of symbols in a TTI) may be variable. In some instances,an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other CCs, which mayinclude use of a reduced symbol duration as compared with symboldurations of the other CCs. A shorter symbol duration is associated withincreased subcarrier spacing. A device, such as a UE 115 or base station105, utilizing eCCs may transmit wideband signals (e.g., 20, 40, 60, 80MHz) at reduced symbol durations (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI ineCC may include one or multiple symbols. In some cases, the TTI duration(that is, the number of symbols in a TTI) may be variable.

A shared radio frequency spectrum band may be utilized in an NR sharedspectrum system. For example, an NR shared spectrum may utilize anycombination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed spectrums, among others.The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allowfor the use of eCC across multiple spectrums. In some examples, NRshared spectrum may increase spectrum utilization and spectralefficiency, specifically through dynamic vertical (e.g., acrossfrequency) and horizontal (e.g., across time) sharing of resources.

In some cases, wireless system 100 may utilize both licensed andunlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, wireless system100 may employ LTE License Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) or LTE Unlicensed(LTE U) radio access technology or NR technology in an unlicensed bandsuch as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. Whenoperating in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, wireless devicessuch as base stations 105 and UEs 115 may employ listen-before-talk(LBT) procedures to ensure the channel is clear before transmittingdata. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a CAconfiguration in conjunction with CCs operating in a licensed band.Operations in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions,uplink transmissions, or both. Duplexing in unlicensed spectrum may bebased on FDD, TDD, or a combination of both.

Wireless communications system 100 may operate in an ultra-highfrequency (UHF) region using frequency bands from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. Thisregion may also be known as the decimeter band, since the wavelengthsrange from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF wavesmay propagate mainly by line of sight, and may be blocked by buildingsand environmental features. However, the waves may penetrate wallssufficiently to provide service to UEs 115 located indoors. Transmissionof UHF waves is characterized by smaller antennas and shorter range(e.g., less than 100 km) compared to transmission using the smallerfrequencies (and longer waves) of the high frequency (HF) or very highfrequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum. Wireless communications system100 may also operate in a super high frequency (SHF) region usingfrequency bands from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, otherwise known as the centimeterband. In some cases, wireless communication system 100 may also utilizeextremely high frequency (EHF) portions of the spectrum (e.g., from 25GHz to 300 GHz), also known as the millimeter band. Systems that usethis region may be referred to as millimeter wave (mmW) systems. Thus,EHF antennas may be even smaller and more closely spaced than UHFantennas. In some cases, this may facilitate use of antenna arrayswithin a UE 115 (e.g., for directional beamforming). However, EHFtransmissions may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation andshorter range than UHF transmissions. Techniques disclosed herein may beemployed across transmissions that use one or more different frequencyregions.

Wireless communications system 100 may support mmW communicationsbetween UEs 115 and base stations 105. Devices operating in mmW, SHF, orEHF bands may have multiple antennas to allow beamforming. That is, abase station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to conductbeamforming operations for directional communications with a UE 115.Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering ordirectional transmission) is a signal processing technique that may beused at a transmitter (e.g., a base station 105) to shape and/or steeran overall antenna beam in the direction of a target receiver (e.g., aUE 115). This may be achieved by combining elements in an antenna arrayin such a way that transmitted signals at particular angles experienceconstructive interference while others experience destructiveinterference. For example, base station 105 may have an antenna arraywith a number of rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station105 may use for beamforming in its communication with UE 115. Signalsmay be transmitted multiple times in different directions (e.g., eachtransmission may be beamformed differently). A mmW receiver (e.g., a UE115) may try multiple beams (e.g., antenna subarrays) while receivingthe SSs. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems use atransmission scheme between a transmitter (e.g., a base station 105) anda receiver (e.g., a UE 115), where both transmitter and receiver areequipped with multiple antennas.

In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or UE 115 may belocated within one or more antenna arrays, which may support beamformingor MIMO operation. One or more base station antennas or antenna arraysmay be collocated at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. Insome cases, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. A base station 105may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to conduct beamformingoperations for directional communications with a UE 115.

MIMO wireless systems use a transmission scheme between a transmitter(e.g., a base station 105) and a receiver (e.g., a UE 115), where bothtransmitter and receiver are equipped with multiple antennas. Someportions of wireless communications system 100 may use beamforming. Forexample, base station 105 may have an antenna array with a number ofrows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use forbeamforming in its communication with UE 115. Signals may be transmittedmultiple times in different directions (e.g., each transmission may bebeamformed differently). A mmW receiver (e.g., a UE 115) may trymultiple beams (e.g., antenna subarrays) while receiving SSs (e.g., orother reference signals such as CSI-RS). Each of these beams may bereferred to as a receive beam in aspects of the present disclosure.

In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or UE 115 may belocated within one or more antenna arrays, which may support beamformingor MIMO operation. One or more base station antennas or antenna arraysmay be collocated at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. Insome cases, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. A base station 105may multiple use antennas or antenna arrays to conduct beamformingoperations for directional communications with a UE 115.

Synchronization (e.g., cell acquisition) may be performed using SSs orchannels transmitted by a synchronization source (e.g., a base station105). A base station may transmit SS blocks containing discoveryreference signals. SS blocks may include a primary synchronizationsignal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or a physicalbroadcast channel (PBCH). A UE 115 attempting to access a wirelessnetwork may perform an initial cell search by detecting a PSS from abase station 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of symbol timingand may indicate a physical layer identity value. The PSS may beutilized to acquire timing and frequency as well as a physical layeridentifier. The UE 115 may then receive an SSS. The SSS may enable radioframe synchronization, and may provide a cell group identity value,which may be combined with the physical layer identifier to form thephysical cell identifier (PCID) which identifies the cell. The SSS mayalso enable detection of a duplexing mode and a cyclic prefix (CP)length. An SSS may be used to acquire other system information (e.g.,subframe index). The PBCH may be used to acquire additional systeminformation needed for acquisition (e.g., bandwidth, frame index).

In some cases, SS blocks may be transmitted in a beamformed manner.Because a base station may not know the locations of devices attemptingto synchronize with a cell, SS blocks may be successively transmitted ina beam swept manner, as described further below. In aspects of thepresent disclosure, the decoded waveforms of the SS blocks mayeffectively serve as reference signals and be used to indicate thequality of a given beam pair link. Accordingly, a UE 115 may receive abeamformed SS block and report information based on measurements of thereceived SS block relative to the decoded waveform to the base station105. The base station 105 may in turn use the reported information for avariety of purposes (e.g., scheduling, transmission power control).Various configurations for reporting information (e.g., which metrics toreport, which beams to measure, periodicity of measurements, periodicityof reports) are considered herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 200that supports beam management using SSs through channel feedbackframework in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.Wireless communications system 200 includes a base station 105-a and aUE 115-a, each of which may be an example of the corresponding devicedescribed with reference to FIG. 1.

Wireless communications system 200 may operate in frequency ranges thatare associated with beamformed transmissions between base station 105-aand UE 115-a. For example, wireless communication system 200 may operateusing mmW frequency ranges. As a result, signal processing techniques,such as beamforming may be used to combine energy coherently andovercome path losses.

By way of example, base station 105-a may contain multiple antennas. Insome cases, each antenna may transmit a phase-shifted version of asignal such that the phase-shifted versions constructively interfere incertain regions and destructively interfere in others. Weights may beapplied to the various phase-shifted versions, e.g., in order to steerthe transmissions in a desired direction. Such techniques (or similartechniques) may serve to increase the coverage area 110-a of the basestation 105-a or otherwise benefit the wireless communications system200.

Transmit beams 205-a and 205-b represent examples of beams over whichinformation may be transmitted. Accordingly, each transmit beam 205 maybe directed from base station 105-a toward a different region of thecoverage area 110-a and in some cases, two or more beams 205 mayoverlap. Transmit beams 205-a and 205-b may be transmittedsimultaneously or at different times. In either case, a UE 115-a may becapable of receiving one or more transmit beams 205 via respectivereceive beams 210-a, 210-b.

In one example, UE 115-a may form one or more receive beams 210-a,210-b. Similar to base station 105-a, UE 115-a may contain multipleantennas. The receive beams 210-a, 210-b may each receive one of thetransmit beams 205-a and 205-b (e.g., UE 115-a may be positioned withinwireless communication systems 200 such that UE 115-a receives bothbeamformed transmit beams 205). Such a scheme may be referred to as areceive-diversity scheme. In some cases, the receive beams 210 mayreceive a single transmit beam 205-a (e.g., receive beam 210-a mayreceive the transmit beam 205-a with various pathloss and multipatheffects included). That is, each antenna of UE 115-a may receive thetransmit beam 205-a which has experienced different path losses or phaseshifts (e.g., different phase shifts may be due to the different pathlengths between the base station 105-a and the respective antennas ofthe UE 115-a) and appropriately combine the received signals that isrepresented by receive beam 210. A transmit beam 205 and a correspondingreceive beam 210 may in some cases be referred to as a beam pair link.Various methods for identifying a desired beam pair link are consideredwithin the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in some casesbase station 105-a may repeat transmissions over multiple transmit beams205 (e.g., in every direction) and UE 115-a may report the strongestreceived beam 205 (e.g., without necessarily trying multiple receivebeams 210). Additionally or alternatively, base station 105-a maytransmit multiple transmit beams 205 over a small angular region (e.g.,to assist a UE 115-a in fine-tuning the selected transmit beam 205).Further, in some cases, base station 105-a may repeat transmission of asingle transmit beam (e.g., transmit beam 205-a) multiple times (e.g.,to allow UE 115-a to compare multiple receive beams 210).

In some examples, transmit beams 205 may carry CSI-RS and/or SS. Basestation 105-a may transmit to UE 115-a using multiple transmit beams205, and UE 115-a may use different antenna sub-arrays to create variousreceive beams 210. For instance, during a cell acquisition procedure,the UE 115-a may receive one or more transmit beams 205 using differentreceive beams 210 and may determine the transmit beam 205 and receivebeam 210 pairing that has the strongest signal (i.e., has the highestmeasured signal strength or highest signal to noise ratio (SNR)).Throughout communications, the UE 115-a may reassess the transmit beam205 and receive beam 210 pairing (e.g., which may be part of beammanagement) based on various SS blocks and CSI-RS transmissions.

As described herein, the virtual antenna ports and waveforms associatedwith a given SS block may be referred to as a resource (e.g., such thateach SS block may form a separate resource). A similar definition mayapply to CSI-RS (e.g., in which the waveforms associated with a resourcemay stretch over a single or several symbols). Accordingly, measurementsmade by UE 115-a (e.g., reference signal receive power (RSRP), channelquality indicator (CQI)) may be made relative to a resource. In variousexamples, base station 105-a may transmit the waveforms over severalresources and request that UE 115-a compare their performance withregard to one or more specified metrics (e.g., RSRP, SNR, CQI). Acollection of resources for comparison may be referred to as a resourceset. In some cases, UE 115-a may be asked to report one or more metricsof each resource or of a requested number of resources (e.g., the N bestresources) together with their CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI). The setof transmit beams 205 (e.g., containing the SS blocks) which cover allspatially relevant directions of the cell may be referred to herein asan SS burst. An SS burst may have, for example, 128 SS blocks, and insome cases an SS burst may be partitioned into subsets of SS blocks.

In some instances, unified reporting for SS blocks and CSI-RS may beachieved by looking at the similarities between the SS blocks and theCSI-RS. For example, after UE 115-a has decoded the contents of the SSblocks, the decoded waveforms can be viewed as reference signals (e.g.,similarly to the waveforms of CSI-RS). In either case, UE 115-a receivesa known waveform over a stretch of time from a set of antenna ports ofthe base station 105 that are associated with a given transmit beam 205.Accordingly, base station 105-a may, for example, ask UE 115-a about theSS block(s) associated with the transmit beam(s) 205 which are bestsuited for communication with the UE 115-a. The UE 115-a may report, forexample, the RSRP and CRI identifying the SS block associated with thebest transmit beam 205.

Within the CSI-RS framework, the base station 105-a may provide thedetails of the UE 115-a reporting procedure for each of multipleresource sets, etc. For example, the details may specify what UE 115-ameasures (e.g., the resources associated with a resource set) when UE115-a reports (e.g., periodically, semi-persistently, aperiodicallybased on a trigger, autonomously) and what metrics UE 115-a shouldreport (e.g., CQI, RSRP, SNR). A resource set may be configuredincluding resources of the SS burst, and the base station 105-a maysimilarly configure the details of the UE 115-a reporting procedure. Forexample, base station 105-a may ask the UE 115-a to report periodicallyor based on a trigger (e.g., aperiodically). The trigger may be based ona certain downlink control information (DCI) or a certain condition(e.g., when the metric of a resource becomes better than the metric of apreviously identified best resource after accounting for a certainhysteresis).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a resource set configuration 300 thatsupports beam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In someexamples, resource set configuration 300 may be transmitted from a basestation 105 to a UE 115 (e.g., via RRC signaling, a control channel). Insome cases, various specifications of resources and resource setsdescribed below may be left partially or completely predetermined (e.g.,programmed into devices upon provisioning on a network, hardcoded).

For example, a base station 105 may configure a UE 115 for the entireCSI-RS procedure immediately after the UE 115 has accessed the system(e.g., performed a connection procedure on a cell of the system).Similarly, the base station 105 may configure the UE 115 for measuringand reporting information about beams (e.g., transmit beams and/orreceive beams) associated with one or more SS blocks in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. That is, after system access, thebase station 105 may provide the details of what to measure and how toreport with regards to the SS blocks. For example, resource setconfiguration 300 may include resource identification field 305.Resource identification field 305 may define resources (e.g., SS burst,SS blocks, CSI-RS) to be measured by the UE 115. For example, the basestation 105 may indicate in the resource identification field 305 whichSS blocks of an SS burst are in the resource set. This information maysupport the UE 115 in finding suitable receive antenna arrays andreceive patterns to optimally detect the SS blocks. Additionally oralternatively, the base station 105 may indicate in the resourceidentification field 305 the times when the SS blocks are transmittedand the duration of SS burst. Such information may be helpful, forexample, if the UE 115 is asked to monitor the SS blocks of otherneighboring base stations 105 for non-synchronized cells. Finally, insome cases, the resource identification field 305 may carry informationrelating to a codebook of precoding matrices to determine how tolinearly combine antenna ports to achieve a single or multilayertransmission of a resource set. In some cases, the number of layers maybe limited by the capability of the UE 115 and the number of virtualantenna ports involved in transmitting the SS block.

Resource set configuration 300 may include metric identification field310 and/or reporting configuration field 315. For example, metricidentification field 310 may specify which metrics the UE 115 is tomeasure relating to the transmitted SS blocks. Reporting configurationfield 315 may specify how the UE 115 is to report the measured metrics(e.g., periodically, semi-persistently, aperiodically following atrigger, autonomously). Resource set configuration 300 may additionallyinclude other fields (e.g., such that the illustrated fields areincluded for example purposes only). For example, resource setconfiguration 300 may include an indicator of which SS blocks areassociated with quasi collocated (QCL) beams (e.g., beams that pointinto similar directions). Further, though illustrated separately for thesake of explanation, information associated with the various fieldsdescribed above may in some cases be combined (e.g., such that a givenmetric may always be associated with periodic transmission).

In some cases, a base station 105 may configure a UE 115 for multipleresource set configurations 300 for concurrent operation. For example,each resource set configuration 300 may indicate different resources,and different UE 115 or groups of UEs 115 may be configured differently(e.g., based on a location within the coverage area).

Alternative methods of defining (e.g., and configuring) resources andresource sets are also considered. For example, in some cases SS blocksof an SS burst may be partitioned into groups (e.g., SS burst subsets),and a UE 115 may be asked to identify one or more groups of resourceswithin the SS burst. In some examples, the groups may be communicated tothe UE 115 at the time of configuration (e.g., after system access) ormay be defined (e.g., by some specification). For example, such anapproach may be useful if there is a large number of SS blocks and thebase station 105 does not want to wait until the end of the entire SSburst before the base station 105 receives a report. Accordingly, suchan approach may be associated with lower latency.

Also considered is an approach in which all the SS blocks of the SSburst form a single resource with multiple antenna ports. In some cases,a codebook of precoding matrices may be used such that only one or twoantenna ports may be combined to form a layer. Accordingly, if RSRP isdefined as the performance metric (e.g., in metric identification field310), the UE 115 may automatically search for the SS block with thehighest RSRP and report it (e.g., based on reporting configuration field315) using the associated precoding matrix indicator. This may be used,for example, when the base station 105 transmits multiple SS blocks atthe same time (e.g., in the same slot) using multiple concurrenttransmit beams. The UE 115 may report a precoding matrix indicator (PMI)or other index to the codebook that identifies the antenna port havingthe highest performance metric. The UE 115 may additionally report theperformance metric. Accordingly, the UE 115 may report RSRP/CQI togetherwith a PMI (e.g., in addition to or instead of a CRI).

In accordance with various techniques described herein, SSs may assistin beam management through the use of the channel feedback framework. Abase station 105 may periodically transmit a plurality of SS blocks thatare beamformed into multiple spatial directions. In some cases, the basestation 105 and/or predetermined information may define what portion ofthe transmitted SS blocks constitute a resource or a resource set. Thebase station 105 may configure the UE 115 for measurements and reportingusing the framework of CSI-RS applied to the defined resources andresource sets. The UE 115 may report information about the beamformed SSblocks according to the configuration. In some examples, the basestation 105 configures the UE 115 to report the RSRP or CQI for the bestresource along with a CRI. In some cases, the base station configuresthe UE 115 to report with a certain periodicity or upon occurrence ofcertain triggers.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supports beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. Process flow 400includes a UE 115-b and base station 105-b, each of which may be anexample of the corresponding device described above with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2.

At 405, base station 105-b and UE 115-b may establish a communicationlink (e.g., which may be an example of a communication link 125 asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1). For example, the communication linkat 405 may support beamformed communications.

At 410, base station 105-b may optionally transmit a configurationmessage to UE 115-b. The configuration message may include, for example,one or more fields of a resource set configuration 300 described withreference to FIG. 3. Accordingly, at 410, base station 105-b mayconfigure for UE 115-b, according to a channel state information (CSI)framework, a first feedback resource set and reporting configuration.

At 415, UE 115-b may identify a first feedback resource set andreporting configuration that indicates a plurality of SS blocks of an SSburst transmitted by base station 105-b using a first set oftransmission beams. In some cases, the identification of theconfiguration may be based on the configuration message received at 410.That is, the identifying the first feedback resource set and reportingconfiguration may include receiving the first feedback resource set andreporting configuration from the base station 105-b. In examples, theplurality of SS blocks may include a subset of SS blocks of the SSburst. In some cases, the first feedback resource set and reportingconfiguration includes a spatial QCL indicator for at least one of theplurality of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for the plurality ofSS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator ofantenna ports associated with the plurality of SS blocks, an indicatorof a number of SS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channelmetric for reporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or a combinationthereof.

At 420, UE 115-b may receive the SS burst form the base station 105-b.In some cases, the UE 115-b may identify a waveform for the plurality ofSS blocks for performing the first channel measurements based at leaston decoding at least one SS block of the SS burst received at 420.

At 425, UE 115-b may perform first channel measurements for theplurality of SS blocks. In aspects, the first channel measurements maybe based on the configuration identified at 415.

At 430, UE 115-b may report, to base station 105-b, a first resourceindicator for at least one of the plurality of SS blocks based on thefirst channel measurements. In some cases, base station 105-b maydetermine a characteristic of a transmission beam for a transmission(e.g., data transmission, control transmission, future transmissions,current transmissions) to UE 115-b based on the first resourceindicator. In some examples, the reporting includes reporting a channelmetric associated with at least one of the plurality of SS blocks. Insome cases, the report includes an indicator of an antenna port for atleast one of the plurality of SS blocks. In aspects, the reporting mayoccur periodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically as identified bythe first feedback reporting configuration. In some cases, reportingaperiodically may occur based on a trigger, where the trigger includesreceiving a reporting indicator in a DCI message or identifying atriggering event based on the channel measurements performed at 425.

At 435, UE 115-b may optionally obtain a second feedback resource setand reporting configuration identifying a set of resources associatedwith a CSI-RS transmitted by base station 105-b using a second set oftransmission beams (which may be the same or different from thetransmission beams used to transmit the SS burst at 420). In some cases,the second configuration may be obtained at the same time as and/or in asimilar manner to the first configuration (e.g., may be obtained in theconfiguration message at 410 or a similar message).

At 440, UE 115-b may perform second channel measurements for the CSI-RSbased on the second configuration.

At 445, UE 115-b may report according to the second reportingconfiguration, to base station 105-b and based on the second channelmeasurements performed at 440, at least one channel metric for at leastone of the set of resources associated with the CSI-RS and a secondresource indicator of the at least one of the set of resources.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a wireless device 505 that supportsbeam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 505may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. Wirelessdevice 505 may include receiver 510, UE beam manager 515, andtransmitter 520. Wireless device 505 may also include a processor. Eachof these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., viaone or more buses).

Receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework). Informationmay be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 510 maybe an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described with referenceto FIG. 8. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set ofantennas.

UE beam manager 515 may be an example of aspects of the UE beam manager815 described with reference to FIG. 8.

UE beam manager 515 and/or at least some of its various sub-componentsmay be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor,firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in softwareexecuted by a processor, the functions of the UE beam manager 515 and/orat least some of its various sub-components may be executed by ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an field-programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described in the presentdisclosure.

The UE beam manager 515 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be physically located at various positions, includingbeing distributed such that portions of functions are implemented atdifferent physical locations by one or more physical devices. In someexamples, UE beam manager 515 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, UEbeam manager 515 and/or at least some of its various sub-components maybe combined with one or more other hardware components, including butnot limited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server,another computing device, one or more other components described in thepresent disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

UE beam manager 515 may identify a first feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicates aset of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using afirst set of transmission beams, perform first channel measurements forthe set of SS blocks, and report, to the base station, a first resourceindicator for at least one of the set of SS blocks based on the firstchannel measurements.

Transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be collocated witha receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described withreference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna ora set of antennas.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a wireless device 605 that supportsbeam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 605may be an example of aspects of a wireless device 505 or a UE 115 asdescribed with reference to FIG. 5. Wireless device 605 may includereceiver 610, UE beam manager 615, and transmitter 620. Wireless device605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework). Informationmay be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 610 maybe an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described with referenceto FIG. 8. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set ofantennas.

UE beam manager 615 may be an example of aspects of the UE beam manager815 described with reference to FIG. 8.

UE beam manager 615 may also include configuration component 625,measurement component 630, and reporting component 635.

Configuration component 625 may identify a first feedback resource setand reporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicatesa set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using afirst set of transmission beams and obtain a second feedback resourceset and reporting configuration identifying a set of resourcesassociated with a CSI-RS transmitted by a base station using a secondset of transmission beams. In some cases, the set of SS blocks includesa subset of SS blocks of the SS burst. In some cases, the identifyingthe first feedback resource set and reporting configuration includesreceiving the first feedback resource set and reporting configurationfrom the base station. In some cases, the first feedback resource setand reporting configuration includes a spatial quasi-colocationindicator for at least one of the set of SS blocks, an indicator ofresources for the set of SS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SSburst, an indicator of antenna ports associated with the set of SSblocks, an indicator of a number of SS blocks of the SS burst, anindicator of a channel metric for reporting for the set of SS blocks, ora combination thereof.

Measurement component 630 may perform first channel measurements for theset of SS blocks and perform second channel measurements for the CSI-RS.

Reporting component 635 may report according to the second reportingconfiguration, to the base station, a first resource indicator for atleast one of the set of SS blocks based on the first channelmeasurements and report, to the base station based on the second channelmeasurements, at least one channel metric for at least one of the set ofresources associated with the CSI-RS and a second resource indicator ofthe at least one of the set of resources. In some cases, the reportingincludes reporting a channel metric associated with the at least one ofthe set of SS blocks. In some cases, the reporting includes reporting anindicator of an antenna port for at least one of the set of SS blocks.In some cases, the reporting may occur periodically, semi-persistently,or aperiodically as identified by the first feedback reportingconfiguration.

Transmitter 620 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 620 may be collocated witha receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 620may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described withreference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 620 may utilize a single antenna ora set of antennas.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a UE beam manager 715 that supportsbeam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE beam manager715 may be an example of aspects of a UE beam manager 515, a UE beammanager 615, or a UE beam manager 815 described with reference to FIGS.5, 6, and 8. The UE beam manager 715 may include configuration component720, measurement component 725, reporting component 730, waveformcomponent 735, and trigger component 740. Each of these modules maycommunicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

Configuration component 720 may receive signal 745 (e.g., via a receiver510 or 610), and may identify a first feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to a CSI framework that indicates aset of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using afirst set of transmission beams and obtain a second feedback resourceset and reporting configuration according to the CSI framework, wherethe second feedback resource set and reporting configuration identifiesa set of resources associated with a CSI-RS transmitted by a basestation using a second set of transmission beams. In some cases, the setof SS blocks includes a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.

In some cases, the identifying the first feedback resource set andreporting configuration includes receiving the first feedback resourceset and reporting configuration from the base station. In some othercases, the first feedback resource set and reporting configurationincludes a spatial quasi-colocation indicator for at least one of theset of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for the set of SS blocks, anindicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator of antenna portsassociated with the set of SS blocks, an indicator of a number of SSblocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metric for reportingfor the set of SS blocks, or a combination thereof. Configurationcomponent 720 may pass information 750 indicating the set of SS blocksfor performing the channel measurements to waveform component 735.Configuration component 720 may also pass information 765 indicating thechannel metric for reporting to measurement component 725.

Waveform component 735 may identify a waveform 755 received (e.g., via atransmitter 520 or 620) for the set of SS blocks for performing thefirst channel measurements based on decoding at least one SS block ofthe SS burst, where the at least one SS block of the SS burst may beindicated in information 750. Waveform component 735 may relay thewaveform for performing channel measurements to measurement component725 via information 760.

Measurement component 725 may perform first channel measurementsindicated in information 765 for the set of SS blocks. Measurementcomponent 725 may perform second channel measurements for the CSI-RS.Measurement component 725 may pass along channel measurements 770 toreporting component 730.

Reporting component 730 may report, to the base station, information 785relating to the channel measurements. That is, reporting component 730may report, to the base station, a first resource indicator for at leastone of the set of SS blocks based on the first channel measurements andreport, to the base station based on the second channel measurements, atleast one channel metric for at least one of the set of resourcesassociated with the CSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the atleast one of the set of resources. In some cases, the reporting includesreporting a channel metric associated with the at least one of the setof SS blocks. In some instances, the reporting includes reporting anindicator of an antenna port for at least one of the set of SS blocks.In some cases, the reporting may occur periodically, semi-persistently,or aperiodically as identified by the first feedback configuration.

Trigger component 740 may report a trigger or reporting indicator viabus 780 to reporting component 730. In some cases, reportingaperiodically may occur based on a trigger, where the trigger includesreceiving a reporting indicator in a downlink control informationmessage 775 or identifying a triggering event based on the first channelmeasurements.

FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 thatsupports beam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 805 may be anexample of or include the components of wireless device 505, wirelessdevice 605, or a UE 115 as described above, e.g., with reference toFIGS. 5 and 6. Device 805 may include components for bi-directionalvoice and data communications including components for transmitting andreceiving communications, including UE beam manager 815, processor 820,memory 825, software 830, transceiver 835, antenna 840, and I/Ocontroller 845. These components may be in electronic communication viaone or more buses (e.g., bus 810). Device 805 may communicate wirelesslywith one or more base stations 105.

Processor 820 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), amicrocontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, adiscrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardwarecomponent, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 820 maybe configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. Inother cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor 820.Processor 820 may be configured to execute computer-readableinstructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g.,functions or tasks supporting beam management using SSs through channelfeedback framework).

Memory 825 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory(ROM). The memory 825 may store computer-readable, computer-executablesoftware 830 including instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases,the memory 825 may contain, among other things, a basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) which may control basic hardware and/or software operationsuch as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Software 830 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support beam management using SSs throughchannel feedback framework. Software 830 may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or othermemory. In some cases, the software 830 may not be directly executableby the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled andexecuted) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 835 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 835 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 835may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide themodulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulatepackets received from the antennas.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 840.However, in some other cases the device may have more than one antenna840, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receivingmultiple wireless transmissions.

I/O controller 845 may manage input and output signals for device 805.I/O controller 845 may also manage peripherals not integrated intodevice 805. In some cases, I/O controller 845 may represent a physicalconnection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, I/Ocontroller 845 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®,MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operatingsystem. In other cases, I/O controller 845 may represent or interactwith a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device.In some cases, I/O controller 845 may be implemented as part of aprocessor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 805 via I/Ocontroller 845 or via hardware components controlled by I/O controller845.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a wireless device 905 that supportsbeam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 905may be an example of aspects of a base station 105 as described herein.Wireless device 905 may include receiver 910, base station beam manager915, and transmitter 920. Wireless device 905 may also include aprocessor. Each of these components may be in communication with oneanother (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework). Informationmay be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 910 maybe an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235 described withreference to FIG. 12. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or aset of antennas.

Base station beam manager 915 may be an example of aspects of the basestation beam manager 1215 described with reference to FIG. 12.

Base station beam manager 915 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be implemented in hardware, software executed by aprocessor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented insoftware executed by a processor, the functions of the base station beammanager 915 and/or at least some of its various sub-components may beexecuted by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described in the present disclosure.

The base station beam manager 915 and/or at least some of its varioussub-components may be physically located at various positions, includingbeing distributed such that portions of functions are implemented atdifferent physical locations by one or more physical devices. In someexamples, base station beam manager 915 and/or at least some of itsvarious sub-components may be a separate and distinct component inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In otherexamples, base station beam manager 915 and/or at least some of itsvarious sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardwarecomponents, including but not limited to an I/O component, atransceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or moreother components described in the present disclosure, or a combinationthereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Base station beam manager 915 may configure, for a UE, a first feedbackresource set and reporting configuration according to a CSI frameworkthat indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by the basestation using a first set of transmission beams, receive, from the UE, afirst resource indicator of at least one of the set of SS blocks, anddetermine a characteristic of a transmission beam for a data or controltransmission to the UE based on the first resource indicator.

Transmitter 920 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 920 may be collocated witha receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235 described withreference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 920 may utilize a single antennaor a set of antennas.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a wireless device 1005 thatsupports beam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Wireless device 1005may be an example of aspects of a wireless device 905 or a base station105 as described with reference to FIG. 9. Wireless device 1005 mayinclude receiver 1010, base station beam manager 1015, and transmitter1020. Wireless device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of thesecomponents may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to beammanagement using SSs through channel feedback framework). Informationmay be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 1010may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235 described withreference to FIG. 12. The receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna ora set of antennas.

Base station beam manager 1015 may be an example of aspects of the basestation beam manager 1215 described with reference to FIG. 12.

Base station beam manager 1015 may also include configuration component1025, reception component 1030, and beam component 1035.

Configuration component 1025 may configure, for a UE, a first feedbackresource set and reporting configuration according to a CSI frameworkthat indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by the basestation using a first set of transmission beams. Configuration component1025 may also configure, for the UE, a second feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to the CSI framework, where the secondfeedback resource set and reporting configuration identifies a set ofresources associated with a CSI-RS transmitted by the base station usinga second set of transmission beams. In some cases, the set of SS blocksincludes a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst. In some cases, the firstfeedback resource set and reporting configuration includes an indicationfor periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting, a spatialquasi-colocation indicator for at least one of the set of SS blocks, anindicator of resources for the set of SS blocks, an indicator of aduration of the SS burst, an indicator of antenna ports associated withthe set of SS blocks, an indicator of a number of SS blocks of the SSburst, an indicator of a channel metric for reporting for the set of SSblocks, or a combination thereof.

Reception component 1030 may receive, from the UE, a first resourceindicator of at least one of the set of SS blocks. In some cases, thereceiving includes receiving a channel metric associated with the atleast one of the set of SS blocks. In some cases, the receiving includesreceiving an indicator of an antenna port for the at least one of theset of SS blocks.

Beam component 1035 may determine a characteristic of a transmissionbeam for a data or control transmission to the UE based on the firstresource indicator.

Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020 may be collocatedwith a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, thetransmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235described with reference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 1020 may utilize asingle antenna or a set of antennas.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a base station beam manager 1115that supports beam management using SSs through channel feedbackframework in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The basestation beam manager 1115 may be an example of aspects of a base stationbeam manager 1215 described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12. Thebase station beam manager 1115 may include configuration component 1120,reception component 1125, beam component 1130, and metric component1135. Each of these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly,with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Configuration component 1120 may configure, for a UE, a first feedbackresource set and reporting configuration according to a CSI frameworkthat indicates a set of SS blocks of an SS burst transmitted by the basestation using a first set of transmission beams. Configuration component1120 may also configure, for the UE, a second feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to the CSI framework, where the secondfeedback resource set and reporting configuration identifies a set ofresources associated with a CSI-RS transmitted by the base station usinga second set of transmission beams. In some cases, the set of SS blocksincludes a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst. Configuration component1120 may transmit (e.g., via transmitter 920, 1020) a feedback resourceset and reporting configuration 1140 to a UE.

In some cases, the first feedback resource set and reportingconfiguration includes an indication for periodic, semi-persistent, oraperiodic reporting, a spatial quasi-colocation indicator for at leastone of the set of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for the set of SSblocks, an indicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator ofantenna ports associated with the set of SS blocks, an indicator of anumber of SS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metricfor reporting for the set of SS blocks, or a combination thereof.

Reception component 1125 may receive (e.g., via receiver 910, 1010),from the UE, information 1145. Information 1145 may include a firstresource indicator of at least one of the set of SS blocks. In somecases, the receiving includes receiving a channel metric associated withthe at least one of the set of SS blocks. In some cases, the receivingincludes receiving an indicator of an antenna port for the at least oneof the set of SS blocks. Reception component 1125 may pass alonginformation 1150 to metric component 1135.

Metric component 1135 may receive at least one channel metric, from aUE, for at least one of the set of resources associated with the CSI-RSand a second resource indicator of the at least one of the set ofresources, where the determining the characteristic of the transmissionbeam is based on the at least one channel metric. Metric component 1135may relay information 1155 regarding channel metrics to beam component1130.

Beam component 1130 may determine a characteristic of a transmissionbeam for a data or control transmission to the UE based on the firstresource indicator received via information 1155.

FIG. 12 shows a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 thatsupports beam management using SSs through channel feedback framework inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Device 1205 may be anexample of or include the components of base station 105 as describedabove, e.g., with reference to FIG. 1. Device 1205 may includecomponents for bi-directional voice and data communications includingcomponents for transmitting and receiving communications, including basestation beam manager 1215, processor 1220, memory 1225, software 1230,transceiver 1235, antenna 1240, network communications manager 1245, andinter-station communications manager 1250. These components may be inelectronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1210). Device1205 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 115.

Processor 1220 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, anFPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 1220 may be configured to operate a memoryarray using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller maybe integrated into processor 1220. Processor 1220 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting beam managementusing SSs through channel feedback framework).

Memory 1225 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1225 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software 1230 includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform variousfunctions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1225 may contain,among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware and/orsoftware operation such as the interaction with peripheral components ordevices.

Software 1230 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support beam management using SSs throughchannel feedback framework. Software 1230 may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or othermemory. In some cases, the software 1230 may not be directly executableby the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled andexecuted) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 1235 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 1235 may represent a wireless transceiver and maycommunicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. Thetransceiver 1235 may also include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and todemodulate packets received from the antennas.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1240.However, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 1240,which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiplewireless transmissions.

Network communications manager 1245 may manage communications with thecore network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). Forexample, the network communications manager 1245 may manage the transferof data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

Inter-station communications manager 1250 may manage communications withother base station 105, and may include a controller or scheduler forcontrolling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other basestations 105. For example, the inter-station communications manager 1250may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs 115 for variousinterference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or jointtransmission. In some examples, inter-station communications manager1250 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wirelesscommunication network technology to provide communication between basestations 105.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for beam managementusing SSs through channel feedback framework. The operations of method1300 may be implemented by a UE 115 or its components as describedherein. For example, the operations of method 1300 may be performed by aUE beam manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 7. Insome examples, a UE 115 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may perform aspects ofthe functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1305 the UE 115 may identify a feedback resource set andreporting configuration according to a CSI framework. The feedbackresource set and reporting configuration may indicate a plurality of SSblocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station 105 using a firstset of transmission beams. In some cases, the UE 115 may receive thefirst feedback resource set and reporting configuration from the basestation 105. The operations of block 1305 may be performed according tothe methods described herein. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1305 may be performed by a configuration componentas described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

At block 1310, the UE 115 may perform first channel measurements for theplurality of SS blocks. The operations of block 1310 may be performedaccording to the methods described herein. In certain examples, aspectsof the operations of block 1310 may be performed by a measurementcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

At block 1315, the UE 115 may report, to the base station 105, a firstresource indicator for at least one of the plurality of SS blocks basedon the first channel measurements. In some examples, the UE may report achannel metric associated with the at least one of the plurality of SSblocks. The reporting may occur periodically, semi-persistently, oraperiodically as identified by the first reporting configuration.Further, the aperiodic reporting may occur based on a trigger, where thetrigger includes receiving a reporting indicator in a DCI message oridentifying a triggering event based on the first channel measurements.The operations of block 1315 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed herein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1315 may be performed by a reporting component as described withreference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for beam managementusing SSs through channel feedback framework. The operations of method1400 may be implemented by a base station 105 or its components asdescribed herein. For example, the operations of method 1400 may beperformed by a base station beam manager as described with reference toFIGS. 9 through 11. In some examples, a base station 105 may execute aset of codes to control the functional elements of the device to performthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the basestation 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below usingspecial-purpose hardware.

At block 1405, the base station 105 may configure, for a UE 115, a firstfeedback resource set and reporting configuration according to a CSIframework that indicates a plurality of SS blocks of an SS bursttransmitted by the base station using a first set of transmission beams.The feedback resource set and reporting configuration may include anindication for periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting, aspatial quasi-colocation indicator for at least one of the plurality ofSS blocks, an indicator of resources for the plurality of SS blocks, anindicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator of antenna portsassociated with the plurality of SS blocks, an indicator of a number ofSS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metric forreporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or combination thereof. Theoperations of block 1405 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed herein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1405 may be performed by a configuration component as describedwith reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

At block 1410, the base station 105 may receive, from the UE 115, afirst resource indicator of at least one of the plurality of SS blocks.In some instances, the base station 105 may receive a channel metricassociated with the at least one of the plurality of SS blocks. In someother cases, the base station 105 may receive an indicator of an antennaport for the at least one of the plurality of SS blocks. The operationsof block 1410 may be performed according to the methods describedherein. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1410 maybe performed by a reception component as described with reference toFIGS. 10 and 11.

At block 1415, the base station 105 may determine a characteristic of atransmission beam for a data or control transmission to the UE 115 basedon the first resource indicator. The base station 105 may determine thecharacteristic of the transmission beam based on at least one channelmetric. The operations of block 1415 may be performed according to themethods described herein. In certain examples, aspects of the operationsof block 1415 may be performed by a beam component as described withreference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

It should be noted that the methods described above describe possibleimplementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearrangedor otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunications systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA),time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), singlecarrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMAsystem may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95,and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases may be commonly referred to asCDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to asCDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includesWideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system mayimplement a radio technology such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM).

An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra MobileBroadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTSthat use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, NR, and GSM aredescribed in documents from the organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2”(3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems andradio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radiotechnologies. While aspects of an LTE or an NR system may be describedfor purposes of example, and LTE or NR terminology may be used in muchof the description, the techniques described herein are applicablebeyond LTE or NR applications.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including such networks described herein, theterm eNB may be generally used to describe the base stations. Thewireless communications system or systems described herein may include aheterogeneous LTE/LTE-A or NR network in which different types of eNBsprovide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, eacheNB, next gNB, or base station may provide communication coverage for amacro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term “cell” may beused to describe a base station, a carrier or CC associated with a basestation, or a coverage area (e.g., sector) of a carrier or base station,depending on context.

Base stations may include or may be referred to by those skilled in theart as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an accesspoint, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNB, gNB, Home NodeB, a HomeeNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage areafor a base station may be divided into sectors making up only a portionof the coverage area. The wireless communications system or systemsdescribed herein may include base stations of different types (e.g.,macro or small cell base stations). The UEs described herein may be ableto communicate with various types of base stations and network equipmentincluding macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, andthe like. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas fordifferent technologies.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g.,several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEswith service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell is alower-powered base station, as compared with a macro cell, that mayoperate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequencybands as macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells, femto cells,and micro cells according to various examples. A pico cell, for example,may cover a small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access byUEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cellmay also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may providerestricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell(e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in thehome, and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as amacro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small celleNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB may support one ormultiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., CCs).

The wireless communications system or systems described herein maysupport synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronousoperation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, andtransmissions from different base stations may be approximately alignedin time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may havedifferent frame timing, and transmissions from different base stationsmay not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be usedfor either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

The downlink transmissions described herein may also be called forwardlink transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be calledreverse link transmissions. Each communication link describedherein—including, for example, wireless communications system 100 and200 of FIGS. 1 and 2—may include one or more carriers, where eachcarrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveformsignals of different frequencies).

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appendeddrawings, describes example configurations and does not represent allthe examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous overother examples.” The detailed description includes specific details forthe purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques.These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of thedescribed examples.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the above description may berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection withthe disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to thenature of software, functions described above can be implemented usingsoftware executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as usedin a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrasesuch as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusivelist such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C meansA or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, asused herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a referenceto a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that isdescribed as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition Aand a condition B without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed inthe same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.”

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storagemedia and communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media mayinclude RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othernon-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired programcode means in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the softwareis transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, orwireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD),floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the artto make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosurewill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other variations withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is notlimited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to beaccorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communication at a userequipment (UE), comprising: identifying a first feedback resource setand a first reporting configuration according to a channel stateinformation (CSI) framework that indicates a plurality ofsynchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a basestation using a first set of transmission beams; performing firstchannel measurements for the plurality of SS blocks; reporting, to thebase station, a first resource indicator for at least one of theplurality of SS blocks based at least in part on the first channelmeasurements; obtaining a second feedback resource set and a secondreporting configuration according to the CSI framework, wherein thesecond feedback resource set and the second reporting configurationidentify a set of resources associated with a CSI reference signal(CSI-RS) transmitted by the base station using a second set oftransmission beams; performing second channel measurements for theCSI-RS; and reporting according to the second reporting configuration,to the base station based at least in part on the second channelmeasurements, at least one channel metric for at least one of the set ofresources associated with the CSI-RS and a second resource indicator ofthe at least one of the set of resources.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein identifying the first feedback resource set and the firstreporting configuration comprises: receiving the first feedback resourceset and the first reporting configuration from the base station.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein reporting, to the base station, the firstindicator comprises: reporting a channel metric associated with the atleast one of the plurality of SS blocks.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the reporting, to the base station, the first indicator occursperiodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically as identified by thefirst reporting configuration.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinreporting aperiodically occurs based at least in part on a trigger,wherein the trigger comprises: receiving a reporting indicator in adownlink control information message or identifying a triggering eventbased at least in part on the first channel measurements.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein reporting, to the base station, the first indicatorcomprises: reporting an indicator of an antenna port for at least one ofthe plurality of SS blocks.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of SS blocks comprises a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a waveform forthe plurality of SS blocks for performing the first channel measurementsbased at least in part on decoding at least one SS block of the SSburst.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first feedback resource setand the first reporting configuration comprise a spatialquasi-colocation indicator for at least one of the plurality of SSblocks, an indicator of resources for the plurality of SS blocks, anindicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator of antenna portsassociated with the plurality of SS blocks, an indicator of a number ofSS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metric forreporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or a combination thereof. 10.A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising:configuring, for a user equipment (UE), a first feedback resource setand a first reporting configuration according to a channel stateinformation (CSI) framework that indicates a plurality ofsynchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by thebase station using a first set of transmission beams; receiving, fromthe UE, a first resource indicator of at least one of the plurality ofSS blocks; determining a characteristic of a transmission beam for adata or control transmission to the UE based at least in part on thefirst resource indicator; configuring, for the UE, a second feedbackresource set and a second reporting configuration according to the CSIframework, wherein the second feedback resource set and the secondreporting configuration identify a set of resources associated with aCSI reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by the base station using asecond set of transmission beams; and receiving, from the UE, at leastone channel metric for at least one of the set of resources associatedwith the CSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the at least one ofthe set of resources, wherein the determining the characteristic of thetransmission beam is based at least in part on the at least one channelmetric.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving, from the UE, thefirst resource indicator comprises: receiving a channel metricassociated with the at least one of the plurality of SS blocks.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein receiving, from the UE, the first resourceindicator comprises: receiving an indicator of an antenna port for theat least one of the plurality of SS blocks.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein the first feedback resource set and the first reportingconfiguration comprise an indication for periodic, semi-persistent, oraperiodic reporting, a spatial quasi-colocation indicator for at leastone of the plurality of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for theplurality of SS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SS burst, anindicator of antenna ports associated with the plurality of SS blocks,an indicator of a number of SS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of achannel metric for reporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or acombination thereof.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the pluralityof SS blocks comprises a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.
 15. Anapparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE),comprising: a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: identify a first feedback resourceset and a first reporting configuration according to a channel stateinformation (CSI) framework that indicates a plurality ofsynchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a basestation using a first set of transmission beams; perform first channelmeasurements for the plurality of SS blocks; report, to the basestation, a first resource indicator for at least one of the plurality ofSS blocks based at least in part on the first channel measurements;obtain a second feedback resource set and a second reportingconfiguration according to the CSI framework, wherein the secondfeedback resource set and the second reporting configuration identify aset of resources associated with a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS)transmitted by the base station using a second set of transmissionbeams; perform second channel measurements for the CSI-RS; and reportaccording to the second reporting configuration, to the base stationbased at least in part on the second channel measurements, at least onechannel metric for at least one of the set of resources associated withthe CSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the at least one of theset of resources.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein theinstructions to identify the first feedback resource set and the firstreporting configuration are executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: receive the first feedback resource set and the firstreporting configuration from the base station.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein the instructions to report, to the base station, thefirst resource indicator are executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: report a channel metric associated with the at least oneof the plurality of SS blocks.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, whereinthe reporting occurs periodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodicallyas identified by the first reporting configuration.
 19. The apparatus ofclaim 18, wherein the instructions to report aperiodically occurs basedat least in part on a trigger executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: receive a reporting indicator in a downlink controlinformation message or identifying a triggering event based at least inpart on the first channel measurements.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15,wherein the instructions to report, to the base station, the firstresource indicator are executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: report an indicator of an antenna port for at least one ofthe plurality of SS blocks.
 21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein theplurality of SS blocks comprises a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: identify awaveform for the plurality of SS blocks for performing the first channelmeasurements based at least in part on decoding at least one SS block ofthe SS burst.
 23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first feedbackresource set and the first reporting configuration comprise a spatialquasi-colocation indicator for at least one of the plurality of SSblocks, an indicator of resources for the plurality of SS blocks, anindicator of a duration of the SS burst, an indicator of antenna portsassociated with the plurality of SS blocks, an indicator of a number ofSS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of a channel metric forreporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or a combination thereof. 24.An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: aprocessor, memory in electronic communication with the processor; andinstructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: configure, for a user equipment (UE), a firstfeedback resource set and a first reporting configuration according to achannel state information (CSI) framework that indicates a plurality ofsynchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by thebase station using a first set of transmission beams; receive, from theUE, a first resource indicator of at least one of the plurality of SSblocks; determine a characteristic of a transmission beam for a data orcontrol transmission to the UE based at least in part on the firstresource indicator; configure, for the UE, a second feedback resourceset and a second reporting configuration according to the CSI framework,wherein the second feedback resource set and the second reportingconfiguration identify a set of resources associated with a CSIreference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by the base station using a secondset of transmission beams; and receive, from the UE, at least onechannel metric for at least one of the set of resources associated withthe CSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the at least one of theset of resources, wherein the determining the characteristic of thetransmission beam is based at least in part on the at least one channelmetric.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the instructions toreceive, from the UE, the first resource indicator are executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: receive a channel metric associatedwith the at least one of the plurality of SS blocks.
 26. The apparatusof claim 24, wherein the instructions to receive, from the UE, the firstresource indicator are executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: receive an indicator of an antenna port for the at leastone of the plurality of SS blocks.
 27. The apparatus of claim 24,wherein the first feedback resource set and the first reportingconfiguration comprise an indication for periodic, semi-persistent, oraperiodic reporting, a spatial quasi-colocation indicator for at leastone of the plurality of SS blocks, an indicator of resources for theplurality of SS blocks, an indicator of a duration of the SS burst, anindicator of antenna ports associated with the plurality of SS blocks,an indicator of a number of SS blocks of the SS burst, an indicator of achannel metric for reporting for the plurality of SS blocks, or acombination thereof.
 28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein theplurality of SS blocks comprises a subset of SS blocks of the SS burst.29. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE),comprising: means for identifying a first feedback resource set and afirst reporting configuration according to a channel state information(CSI) framework that indicates a plurality of synchronization signal(SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using a firstset of transmission beams; means for performing first channelmeasurements for the plurality of SS blocks; means for reporting, to thebase station, a first resource indicator for at least one of theplurality of SS blocks based at least in part on the first channelmeasurements; means for obtaining a second feedback resource set and asecond reporting configuration according to the CSI framework, whereinthe second feedback resource set and the second reporting configurationidentify a set of resources associated with a CSI reference signal(CSI-RS1 transmitted by the base station using a second set oftransmission beams; means for performing second channel measurements forthe CSI-RS; and means for reporting according to the second reportingconfiguration, to the base station based at least in part on the secondchannel measurements, at least one channel metric for at least one ofthe set of resources associated with the CSI-RS and a second resourceindicator of the at least one of the set of resources.
 30. An apparatusfor wireless communication at a base station, comprising: means forconfiguring, for a user equipment (UE), a first feedback resource setand a first reporting configuration according to a channel stateinformation (CSI) framework that indicates a plurality ofsynchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by thebase station using a first set of transmission beams; means forreceiving, from the UE, a first resource indicator of at least one ofthe plurality of SS blocks; means for determining a characteristic of atransmission beam for a data or control transmission to the UE based atleast in part on the first resource indicator; means for configuring,for the UE, a second feedback resource set and a second reportingconfiguration according to the CSI framework, wherein the secondfeedback resource set and the second reporting configuration identify aset of resources associated with a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS)transmitted by the base station using a second set of transmissionbeams; and means for receiving, from the UE, at least one channel metricfor at least one of the set of resources associated with the CSI-RS anda second resource indicator of the at least one of the set of resources,wherein the determining the characteristic of the transmission beam isbased at least in part on the at least one channel metric.
 31. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication at a user equipment (UE), the code comprising instructionsexecutable by a processor to: identify a first feedback resource set anda first reporting configuration according to a channel state information(CSI) framework that indicates a plurality of synchronization signal(SS) blocks of an SS burst transmitted by a base station using a firstset of transmission beams; perform first channel measurements for theplurality of SS blocks; report, to the base station, a first resourceindicator for at least one of the plurality of SS blocks based at leastin part on the first channel measurements; obtain a second feedbackresource set and a second reporting configuration according to the CSIframework, wherein the second feedback resource set and the secondreporting configuration identify a set of resources associated with aCSI reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by the base station using asecond set of transmission beams; perform second channel measurementsfor the CSI-RS; and report according to the second reportingconfiguration, to the base station based at least in part on the secondchannel measurements, at least one channel metric for at least one ofthe set of resources associated with the CSI-RS and a second resourceindicator of the at least one of the set of resources.
 32. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication at a base station, the code comprising instructionsexecutable by a processor to: configure, for a user equipment (UE), afirst feedback resource set and a first reporting configurationaccording to a channel state information (CSI) framework that indicatesa plurality of synchronization signal (SS) blocks of an SS bursttransmitted by the base station using a first set of transmission beams;receive, from the UE, a first resource indicator of at least one of theplurality of SS blocks; determine a characteristic of a transmissionbeam for a data or control transmission to the UE based at least in parton the first resource indicator; configure, for the UE, a secondfeedback resource set and a second reporting configuration according tothe CSI framework, wherein the second feedback resource set and thesecond reporting configuration identify a set of resources associatedwith a CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by the base stationusing a second set of transmission beams; and receive, from the UE, atleast one channel metric for at least one of the set of resourcesassociated with the CSI-RS and a second resource indicator of the atleast one of the set of resources, wherein the determining thecharacteristic of the transmission beam is based at least in part on theat least one channel metric.